Air inflating attachment for swim suits or swim trunks



D. l. MCCOY June 2, 1964 AIR INFLATING ATTACHMENT FOR SWIM SUITS OR SWIM TRUNKS lllllllllllllll llllll\|\|\l Filed Aug. 4. 1961 FIG. 5.

INVENTOR. Donald I. McCoy FIG. 6.

FIG.9.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,134,993 AIR NELATENG ATTACHMENT EGR SWlh/i SUllTS OR SWR/i TRUNKS Donald I. McCoy, 1516 Humboldt St., Manhattan, Kans. Filed Aug. 4, 1961, Ser. No. 129,285 3 Claims. (Cl. 9334) The present invention is an air inflating attachment for swim suits or swim trunks, and has for an object to utilize a very simple attachment particularly adapted for use in or with modern swim suits or trunks. I am not unmindful that etforts have been made to inflate swim suits and trunks as is apparent from the following patents: 1,704,197, Journey, March 5, 1929; 1,723,402, Browdy, August 6, 1929; and 2,524,212, Spack, October 3, 1950.

Objects of this invention are to provide an iniiating attachment which may be incorporated into the waist band of mens swim trunks or upper part of a ladys swim suit; to provide an attachment which may be mouth inflated, or inated by use of releasing the contents of a compressed gas cartridge cylinder; to equip the attachment with a exible air line with an air valve, which is released by air pressure from the mouth, the valve automatically closing when pressure is released therefrom, the air line being concealed when not in use; and to provide an attachment which is inexpensive, light weight and of sufficient flexibility to encircle the waist or other part of the body, outside of the suit, particularly for emergency use.

Other objects of my invention will be manifest from the following description of the present preferred form of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of swim trunks embodying the present invention and illustrating its application, a portion thereof being broken away to disclose details of construction;

FIG. 2 is a View similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the application of the present invention to a swim suit;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the air iniiating attachment for the swim suit illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional View taken through the upper portion of the swim trunks of FIG. 1, showing the air tube in inoperative or deiiated condition;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the air tube in operative or inflated condition;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 7--7 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the air tube in inoperative or deflated condition;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating a modiiied form of the present invention in which the air inflating attachment is shown applied to a conventional pair of swim trunks; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view illustrating the compressed gas cartridge and connected means for inflating the air tube forming a part of the present invention, a portion thereof being broken away to disclose details.

This invention contemplates the use of swim trunks, or a ladys swim suit. Conventional swim trunks 11 are shown in FIG. 1, the trunks being equipped with the air inating attachment of this invention generally designated 12. The trunks or suit includes a compartment 13 formed by reversely folding a margin of the garment as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 7. The attachment 12 ernbodies a tube 14, made of rubber or the like, which may be air inflated, is waterproof and inherently elastic. Ination of the tube may be effected by a ilexible air line 15 with a valved mouth piece 16, or a compressed gas ICC from a cartridge in the assembly 17, both of which are in communication with the tube 14. When the air line 15 is not in use, it may be concealed in any suitable manner within the trunks or suit. A suggested convenient way of doing this, as shown in the drawings, is to secure loops 1S inside the trunk or suit and train the air line therethrough as advantageously shown in FlG. 5. The assembly 17 includes a conventional gas cartridge 19 mounted in any suitable manner on the garment, as shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 9. The assembly 17 further includes a housing 219 in which the cartridge is frictionally held, and a puncturing device 21. The inner end of the puncturing device may be an incising tube for puncturing the capsule under hand pressure on the cartridge. This device is on the inner end of a conveying elbow 22 which later is in airtight communication with the tube 14.

It is to be understood that the tube 14 may be mounted in a compartment 13 in the top of a ladys strapless swim suit. In this embodiment the tube, which is quite narrow, will encircle the body just above the busts. However in some cases where greater buoyancy is necessary shoulder straps are used as shown in FIG. 2. The shoulder straps, indicated 23, are hollow to receive shoulder extensions 24 from the tube 14. These extensions are coextensive with the lengths of the straps.

It is also within the contemplation of this invention to provide an inflating attachment which may be quickly attached to the swim garment, on the inside, after the fashion shown in FIG. 8. Here the air inilating attachment is generally 12 and may be secured to the garment in any conventional manner.

It is to be understood that further changes may be made in this invention within the scope of the appended claims. i

What is claimed is:

1. In a swim suit, a body section, the upper portion of which is reversely folded upon itself, the margin of the reversely folded portion being secured to an intermediate part of the body section to form a continuous compartment around the upper part of said body section, a flexible inherently resilient tube mounted in said continuous compartment, hollow shoulder straps connected to said body section, flexible inherently resilient tube extensions within said hollow shoulder straps, said tube extensions being in communication with said flexible, inherently resilient tube, and inilating means in communication with said flexible inherently resilient tube and tube extensions.

2. The swim suit of claim l, in which the inflating means is a flexible air line which includes a valved mouthpiece, the air line being concealed when not in use.

3. The swim suit of claim 1 in which the inilating means is a compressed gas cartridge in communication with the tube, the contents of the cartridge being reIeaS able at the option of the wearer of the suit.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,212,315 Bjerre Jan. 16, 1917 1,580,439 Meilland Apr. 13, 1926 1,704,197 Journey Mar. 5, 1929 1,720,629 Dreyfus July 9, 1929 1,730,812 Ford Oct. 8, 1929 1,822,966 Glaeser Sept. 15, 1931 2,019,086 Milne Oct. 29, 1935 2,346,019 Gerich Apr. 4, 1944 2,987,737 Brenner June 13, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 175,833 Austria Aug. 25, 1953 538,094 Great Britain July 21, 1941 816,958 Germany Oct. 15, 1951 

1. IN A SWIM SUIT, A BODY SECTION, THE UPPER PORTION OF WHICH IS REVERSELY FOLDED UPON ITSELF, THE MARGIN OF THE REVERSELY FOLDED PORTION BEING SECURED TO AN INTERMEDIATE PART OF THE BODY SECTION TO FORM A CONTINUOUS COMPARTMENT AROUND THE UPPER PART OF SAID BODY SECTION, A FLEXIBLE INHERENTLY RESILIENT TUBE MOUNTED IN SAID CONTINUOUS COMPARTMENT, HOLLOW SHOULDER STRAPS CONNECTED TO SAID BODY SECTION, FLEXIBLE INHERENTLY RESILIENT TUBE EXTENSIONS WITHIN SAID HOLLOW SHOULDER STRAPS, SAID TUBE EXTENSIONS BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FLEXIBLE, INHERENTLY RESILIENT TUBE, AND INFLATING MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FLEXIBLE INHERENTLY RESILIENT TUBE AND TUBE EXTENSIONS. 